Carpe Omnious
by Cracktastical
Summary: He told him that he'd be able to live forever, but he didn't say that his heart would stop beating - and his skin would go cold. Years after, Diego's convinced his life's a living hell - that is, until THEY come along. Manny/Diego slash, slight Soto/Diego
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes: **Count on me to make the stupid fanfictions and never continue them…

The names I use here are based on agra19's. Well. Except for Soto's.

Based loosely on Twilight, because, dang, that book's hilarious. I laughed every minute I spent reading it. No offense to you Twilight lovers.

**Disclaimer: Ice Age belongs to Blue Sky, I think. Or whatever. It's just not mine.**

xxx

**Carpe Omnious  
**_**Prologue**_

xxx

"Mr. Tiergan, you're dying."

I thought I was going to be sick.

Doctor Bonswacht looked at me through opaque eyes – I couldn't read through them. Was this a sick joke, or was he serious? I swallowed. He was serious, alright. And this was no big deal.

I suppose I wasn't so cool and calm as everyone else thought I was.

"… Are you sure?"

Doctor Bonswacht looked at me and blinked through thick spectacles, and then chuckled. He tapped me on the nose with his quill pen, and I sneezed.

"Certain, Diego. Are _you_ sure you don't want to tell your parents about this? I understand our techniques aren't perfected, but treatment is possible. Difficult, but possible. And expensive," he answered in perfect intonation, so perfect that I almost thought he didn't care.

"No."

My answer sounded firm, and Doctor Bonswacht looked surprised for a moment. "Why is that?" he asked, different from the regular monotonous voice he always had.

"Father would be heartbroken. Mother's crazy, so why should I bother her? Besides, it's alright. I've never imagined myself growing old."

That was my sickness, even in burning situations I seemed not at all to care for myself. Help other before yourself, mother always told me; before she went insane. And I've stuck with that ever since.

"But, Diego –"

"I told you, _no_."

Doctor Bonswacht moved to speak to me, but I stood and walked out.

xxx

"I told you." A voice, deep and almost at a purr, stopped me in my tracks.

"I told you. You were dying."

I clenched my fists. "Rare blood disease," I replied with a small, undetermined smile. "The doctor can't treat it properly."

"Can't imagine yourself growing old, eh?" the voice continued, and a figure stepped from the shadows. Piercing yellow eyes, dark strands of hair falling over his face and framing it. He looked like some kind of hell's angel.

"Leave me alone. I told you, I don't need you," I answered, frowning and stepping back. _Don't run, Diego. Whatever you do, don't run._

"I can make you live forever."

**That **stopped me. I swallowed, looking at him. Tentatively, I spoke.

"H-How?"

"Ah, so you _don't_ want to die?"

I bit on my tongue and hissed.

"I'm… I'm just curious. That's all," I replied, and the figure laughed. Scary. Eerie. Otherworldly.

"You can call me Soto."


	2. Liar, Liar

**Author's Notes: **Wow, I forgot to mention that they're human. Technically. Yeah.

Manny's not here yet. You guys gotta wait for the slash. But here's the slight Soto/Diego. I guess.

**Disclaimer: Ice Age belongs to some other people. The names belong to agra19 of deviantART. You can check her page for proof.**

xxx

**Carpe Omnious  
_Chapter One - Liar, Liar_**

xxx

The first day of high school's always something I don't look forward to. I've experienced it over a hundred times, and there're always eyes looking at me and staring. Eyeballs everywhere, opinions everywhere, giggles everywhere, and some murderous looks are the things I've gone through every single year. I can't particularly say I'm excited. Because, to be frank, I'm not.

I sling my backpack higher up my shoulder.

_body wasn't found at all._

I swim through the oceans of high school, one of the few fish whose lips aren't always in a number three position. But I swim, and I nearly drown in their words and their remarks. I particularly like to ignore the female population. Their giggles and their whispered words make me uncomfortable. I figure that by Valentine's, I'll have a bunch of love notes crammed into my locker. Hooray.

I keep swimming until I reach my homeroom class, wading through the few-inch deep people-water and falling onto my shore-desk. I'm the only one inside, because everyone's back in the hallways, talking to each other and smiling and laughing and making my insides churn. I close my eyes and rest my forehead against the cool wood of my desk.

_parents panicked and searched. body wasn't found at all._

The classroom fills up eventually, and I lift my head when I hear a pair of different footsteps. Different. They scruff against the floor and they're scratchy, and when the figure makes it towards the front for the mandatory introduction speech – everyone's quiet. _"He's different,"_ they whisper back and forth, back and forth, and I can't help but sneer. They call my different good, they call his strange.

Though I must admit. He's different, and he so far hasn't given me a very good first impression.

"My name's Sidney! Sidney Fitzgerald! But everybody calls me Sid!"

Bad move.

Nobody's that happy on the first day of school, not even the freshmen. But I watch as the class laughs at him, and the kid pouts. Fitzgerald. I barely even know who he is, and already I have the nagging feeling that he'll bother me. I sigh a little and watch as everyone gives a 'good morning, Sid', all the while trying to hold in their snickers. I resist the urge to beat their faces in. I feel a little bad for the kid.

_they knocked on his door thirty-three times._

I let my voice be heard for the first time that day.

"You can sit next to me."

Wrong move number one.

xxx

It's lunchtime, and Sidney Fitzgerald is sitting across from me, putting straws in his mouth to make two fangs. I think briefly that he's mocking me, and pick at the meatloaf on my tray.

"Grrr, I'm Diego!" I've only just met him, and already he calls me by my first name. "I'm grouchy, and I won't eat my meatloaf 'cause I'm whiney! Grrrr!"

I consider choking him, but instead, flick some of the meatloaf I'd put on my spoon on his forehead. Fitzgerald ceases his mocking for a moment, and moves to take the straws. For a second, I think he'll throw them. But a few seconds later, he pokes the meatloaf mush (which has disgustingly slid off his forehead and onto the table) with them. I resist the urge to kick him in the head. The first day of school isn't exactly the best time to get a detention.

"Don't eat that – "

I'm interrupted as Fitzgerald _does_ put it in, and shiver.

_they made his favorite for dinner._

"You're sick," I say quickly, and Fitzgerald waves a hand as though it doesn't matter. Of all the blood I've come across, it's his that actually **repels** me, so I suppose it explains the reason I actually tolerate him.

"Sticks and stones, Diego, my buddy, my pal," he says cheerily, and uses the fork on his empty tray to get some meatloaf off of mine. Getting the hint, I push my tray towards him. He looks at me for a moment, surprised, clearly showing in his hazel-colored eyes, before he continues to eat.

I roll my eyes.

This has to be the biggest idiot I've met in all my life.

_body wasn't found at all._

xxx

I drop Fitzgerald off at his house and then split to go separate ways. He says his step-brother's coming here soon. I tell him I don't really care as to who his family is, and continue on. The sun's about to set, and I have to say that I'm hungry. I'm not going to be a choosy bastard today, I tell myself. Today I'm going to eat all I can, and eat all I want. Nobody, not even Soto, can stop me.

When I meet him in the Usual Spot (a.k.a. some alleyway that rests between the arcade and the local supermarket), Soto's already got himself occupied. I watch with a bit of hypocritical disgust as he sloppily, messily, finishes his meal. It doesn't even look good. I try my best to not seem disheartened at this.

"You done yet?"

My voice is out before I can stop it, and Soto pauses, lifts his head and looks at me; licks the juices off his lips. "You jealous?" he asks, and I let a smirk form on my face.

"Asshole."

Soto stands, drops his meal, walks over to me and lightly, quietly –

_parents panicked and searched. body wasn't found at all._

And then his lips rest **right there**, and I nearly drop my schoolbag –

_they knocked on his door thirty-three times._

"S-Soto – "

"Ssh."

Fangs scrape my neck.

_one. two. three. four. five. six. seven. eight. nine. ten. eleven. twelve. thirteen. fourteen. fifteen. sixteen. seventeen. eighteen. nineteen. twenty. twenty-one. twenty-two. twenty-three. twenty-four. twenty-five. twenty-six. twenty-seven. twenty-eight. twenty-nine. thirty. thirty-one. thirty-two. thirty-three._

I stop him, push him away and step back. "Not tonight."

Soto frowns, and I close my eyes. "Not tonight."

There're attempts, and I stop him each time. I turn so my back is facing him, and look back once. "I'm going to go now."

Before Soto can stop me, I'm running, and I sink my teeth into the neck of a stranger, tasting drink and poison. This continues, and until I'm woozy with alcohol already consumed by someone else, I rest my head against the wall of an unidentifiable building, and close my eyes.

I can't sleep, but I'm resting. There are pictures, flickering under my eyelids, reminding me.

_they made his favorite for dinner._

xxx

**Author's Notes: **Thus ends chapter one. I know, Diego seems a bit OOC here, and 'why is Sid here but not Manny' might be haunting you, but yeah. I tried. Today's my off-day. I had a bunch of tests today, and I was tired. Hope you guys enjoyed anyway.


	3. Til You're Older

**Author's Notes: **Baww, I'm getting hits of inspiration.

I love Diego so much, now. I suppose exploring around with him makes me think that way.

Inspiration for this chapter, I owe to Smash Mouth/Shrek, and the amazing song 'All Star'. More power! Also, this fanfiction is getting faves. Can I say that it's beginning to get loved?

.. I'll stop rambling and get on with the chapter.

**Disclaimer: Ice Age belongs to Blue Sky. See? I got it right this time! Names belong to agra19 of deviantART.**

xxx

**Carpe Omnious**_**  
Chapter Two – 'Til You're Older**_

xxx

I woke up late and rushed to school.

Some lady, whoever she is, bless her soul, whacked me with her purse to wake me up – because apparently, young teenage boys (as she put it) did not have the right to sleep in front of some sort of stripper club. I apologized, naturally, but then I saw the picture of the clock in the watch shop across the street, and cursed my life; picking up my bag and beginning to run as quick as I could towards school.

It didn't work.

xxx

I reach school and look around, looking for any students, _anyone_, and find none. It's a minefield. I walk in, and I get in trouble for being late. I go ahead and pretend I'm sick, and there's no trouble. I just need some kind of parental approval, and I'm okay. Not like I have any parents, but Soto's got decent handwriting, and I can talk smart. I suppose it'll work out. I figure there isn't anything good going on at school anyway – it's only the second day, after all – and skip it in general. I wonder just briefly how Fitzgerald will fare without me, and suppose, again, that nothing too horrible would happen.

I'm off before I'm given the chance to worry some more over an idiot I'd 'made friends with' because I felt pity for him.

The first thing I think of doing is going to the park, maybe think a little, find a way to escape. So I go there, walk along the streets, watch as some kid steals a donut from a store and runs as fast as he can. I don't even bother to catch him, just turn the next corner and continue my walk to the park.

_body wasn't found at all._

I realize my stomach is growling when I sit down on one of the park benches, Indian-style, with my hands resting on my thighs – my palms, technically. I don't exactly like it when people pay attention to me, so I try my best to shut up and make myself unnoticed. I close my eyes, breathe normally. In, out. In, out. I understand my heart doesn't beat, but breathing's become a habit of mine – and I can't particularly let it go.

I close my eyes, remember. I remember my parents, how they'd treated me, I remember my mother's mashed potatoes, my father's insane attempts to fly. And I remember the pictures I used to take, when I was little; with my father having made a darkroom especially for me.

I wonder briefly as to the fate of my pictures.

Maybe, they were burned to the ground.

My thoughts continue to race – moving from one to the other, my health and my sickness, my friends and my family – and Soto. Soto's always there, whether I want to keep him away or not. My eyes are still closed when I feel something – or rather, _someone_ – blowing into my face.

They open.

"Good morning!"

The voice is cheerful, young; and a girl of about five years of age is standing in front of me – complete with pigtails and cute little red jumper-dress over a pink shirt. Her eyes are green, deep and so much like a little charmer's, and she laughs because my mouth is open for about thirty seconds, before she decides to speak again.

"You're pretty weird," she says, taps my nose before recoiling immediately. "And you're really cold, mister."

I resist the urge to smile, and watch her go along and continue blabbering to me. I see a little of myself in her. Chattering and excited with what life can bring. I hope she isn't pulled down with illness, like I was. I hope and I pray.

"Here you go!" She gives me a hug, and for a moment I can feel her warmth – before it's blocked out by the ultimate cold I'm cursed with. She lets go after a minute or two, teeth chattering. My skin is deathly cold. I don't blame her.

"Why don't you talk, mister?" She's talking again, and I don't want to open my mouth and talk to her because I'll poison her with my words and my pessimism. But she's so full of innocence and life and she makes me want to talk, and although my throat has run completely dry, I force a wry smile and open my mouth for the first time.

"Because I don't want to."

The girl's surprised with my voice, and she tells me _what a nice voice you have mister_, and giggles so cheerily. "That's okay, though," she says, nodding and crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You don't need to talk, because I can talk for the both of us!"

I want to muss her hair up, and I almost forget that she's a five year old in a park without her parents. I wonder where they are, before she starts blabbing again.

"I like cookies, and I'm going to be a waffle for Halloween, and, _oh!_ I want a pet rat and maybe a kitty, do you like kitties mister? Was that a nod of your head? I don't really know, but since you don't wanna know I'll pretend you like kitties and tell you why I like them. They're covered in fuzz and they're fluffy and they purr and my mommy says that their poop smells bad but I really want a kitty, will you get me a kitty, mister? Please please please?"

This goes on for about twenty more minutes, me listening and her continuing to speak about things only little children would find joy in. I have no intentions of stopping her.

"Oh! And I almost forgot!"

She sticks her hand out when she says this, cute little smile on her round face; face flushed from all the spit she used talking. "My name is Peaches! Peaches Elliot!"

I'm surprised. Peaches isn't exactly a name you'll hear everyday, but it's a nice one. I smile in return, because her happiness is contagious.

"My name's Diego Tiergan. And _don't_ call me _Mister_ Tiergan – " I say this before she can say it out loud – "Because that's the name of my **father**." Peaches laughs, and she nods and bobs her head.

"Okay, okay! I'll call you Dee-yay-goh, then!" She enunciates my name like it's some God from Egypt's, and then she pouts. "You're so lucky, Diego. You have the syllable 'yay' in your name! I'm jealous."

I don't laugh. I just smile, and pat her on the head as lightly as I can, so she doesn't feel my cold hands. Peaches pouts, bounces up and down as excitedly as a kid can, and then takes both my hands in hers and runs her fingers across my knuckles. She knows I have cold skin, and I'm surprised she's not minding it.

"Well, you know what? I think Peaches is a cool name. It's awesome. You must be awesome, too, you know? Do you take some awesome medicine or something?" I ask, trying to seem sociable. The girl's surprised, and she looks up at me through those sparkly green eyes, and then laughs at me. "No, no! I don't, Dee-yay-goh!" she exclaims, practically dying. I feel my smile grow wider. Kids bring out the best in me, I suppose.

"Then you're just naturally awesome, huh? I wish _my_ name was Peaches," I say, and I actually sound happy this time. Peaches giggles, and then I ask her, "do you want to switch names?"

Peaches' face is serious, now, and she shakes her head from side to side. "No. Not yet. Maybe when I'm older, we can. Can we?" she asks, and I nod, feeling the grip on my cold hands loosen.

"Yeah. I'll wait 'til you're older."

xxx

I'm surprised that I spend more than an hour on that bench with young Peaches Elliot, occasionally chuckling rather than laughing at her awkward attempts at jokes, and the way she portrays her father to be 'too over-protective' and her mother 'the total opposite'. Her father-impersonation is interesting, I'll hand it to her. Just as I take her into my arms to give her a noogie on the head, a shout echoes through the park.

"Peaches Elliot, you get your butt right _here_, young lady!"

I lift my head and see a woman, face flushed and eyes filled with complete fear, hands on her hips as she stomps almost elephant-like towards us.

"M-M-Mom!" Peaches stutters out, and it's the first time I've seen her **scared**. She hops off the bench, runs to the woman, and I see that said woman's incredibly young. 'Mom'?

"Where have you **been**? I'm so, _so_ sorry, sir. I hope Peaches hasn't been a burden –"

"No, no," I say, trying to calm her down. "I'm fine. She's a good kid. Funny, too."

I hear more apologies fly from the woman's mouth and rub the back of my neck. "Sheesh, relax. I didn't hurt her or anything, and she didn't bother me. In fact – " I take the initiative when I see the look of complete and utter sadness in Peaches' face " – I want to play with her, again."

The eyes of both mother and child (both the same color of green – I note) widen, and Peaches lets out a girly little squeal. "_Yes!_" she shrieks, running to me and flinging her arms around me, as well. She hugs me, and I groan a little. Too affectionate. Lord of Touch-Me-and-You-Die, here. "See, mommee – " it's a coo she makes " – I told you Dee-yay-goh's a nice person! You should listen to me!"

Her mother sighs, and then finally lets a smile appear on her face. "Okay. Okay. You can play with him again on – "

"Friday," I say.

" – Friday. Just don't run off from the house again, okay?"

Peaches lets out a sigh. "Fine, mommee."

When Peaches waves her good-bye to me, and her mother introduces herself as 'Ellie', they move to go off – the last words I hear from young Peaches being 'I want the syllable 'yay' in my name!'

xxx

At night, I don't feed.

Soto doesn't find me.


	4. Insensible Ramblings

**Author's Notes: **The chapter title makes sense…

**Disclaimer: Not mine, if it was then the movie would've – (hit with a brick)**

xxx

**Carpe Omnious**_**  
Chapter Three – Insensible Ramblings**_

xxx

I come back to school on the third day and there're chants of 'fight fight fight' and when I walk in I see the hallways filled to the brim with people shrieking and laughing and when I tiptoe I see Fitzgerald in the middle with some two jocks I don't know that're big and menacing and possibly scary to the poor dork and they're saying things like 'we're going to kill you' and Fitzgerald's scared and I think he's going to wet himself and I want to laugh a little at his pain before I see the intent in their eyes and how murderous it is and then the people are still laughing and I realize that this is pure predatory instinct and I want to say _stopstopstop_ you're going to hurt him more than he deserves –

"Go away."

I lift my head and I see someone else, someone new, someone with brown hair and a frightening God-like stare, and I'm still in a sense of panic because I'm rooted to my spot and I can't save Fitzgerald without showing my true self because that'll be too fast and I'll be too strong and they'll wonder how holes in the shapes of the two jocks appear in the walls and then _oh god they're speaking again_

"Just let us pound him. Come on. You're new. Let us have some fun, huh? Huh?"

"What do you think you're doing, preying on the… low-standard… bad-smelling… floppy… dorky…"

"I am **not** a dork!"

"We're going to beat him."

"He ruined our day."

"Hell, he ruined our week."

"Yeah. Let us pound him, new guy. Come on."

"I don't like it when people prey on others for pleasure."

Maybe Peaches affected me because now I feel that fear in my eyes (but fear is for prey, **damnit**) as brown-haired new person steps in front of Fitzgerald and cracks his knuckles, jocks beginning to falter and the shouts of 'fight fight fight' getting louder and louder and louder and my ears are going to _burst_ as Fitzgerald's knees knock together and then I'm surprised when brown-haired kid picks them both up and manages to swing them around, throws them into the lockers and makes them seethe in pain and I'm amazed and I realize that although he's tall and not so weighty he's _strongstrongstrong_ and I feel so _weakweakweak_ as his brown eyes and their frightening stare circle the room and land on my wide eyes for a fraction of a second

"Leave him alone, alright?"

Fitzgerald is screeching in happiness and he hugs the new guy and the crowd dissipates because the fun is over and the jocks have possibly hurt their backs but they know they can't tell because new guy's going to hurt them even more and they've met their match and then Fitzgerald is talking and I feel my heart stop because

"You have beautiful eyes."

"Get off my face!"

Then new guy pushes away and begins to walk and just as Fitzgerald turns around and sees me I can move from my spot and I run out the doors again and decide to skip first period because

_my fangs are throbbing and I want to sink my teeth into new guy's delightful flesh and hear him writhe and scream and die under me until I suck all that vital liquid and all that life out of him and I'll feel so damn good after_


	5. Oh, Technology!

**Author's Notes: **Sorry for the super late update. (It rhymes!) I've been on writer's block for a while and oh my goodness christian bale is so cute

**Disclaimer: La-dee-da-da. Ice Age would be rated X-18 if I owned it. Maybe.**

xxx

**Carpe Omnious**_**  
Chapter Four – Oh, Technology!**_

xxx

His name is Manfred Salvadore.

He has brown hair, brown eyes, close to never smiles, and has the habit of playing around with the bangs that fall on his face – which aren't much, considering they sort of poof outward and then curl in. His favorite color is red, but he wears blue most of the time because his parents think red is for girls. He doesn't smile much, if at all, but when he _does_ smile, then your heart begins to break because you know you can't have him. He's all hard and insensitive on the outside, but on the inside there's a kind, good and angelic soul beneath – who is protective over those he cares for, and will go to extreme lengths of whatever extent, you name it, to save them from danger, and keep them from it, too.

I learn all this from Fitzgerald, as he jibber-jabbers to me over the phone.

"And you know, you shouldn't have up and ran from school today, because even though he thinks I'm really annoying and tries to ditch me a lot, I learned a whole lot about him in, like, five minutes! He's easy to read, even if he tries to look all tough and manly on the outside, and even though he's tried to throw me around a few times he's an awesome bodyguard!"

I'm tempted to tell him to shut up because I don't care and _how the hell did you get my phone number anyway_, but I think I should give him a chance. The near-death experience (if you would call it that) from earlier probably helped with that thought, and I almost shuddered at the memory of it.

_All that power, emanating from just one person._

"Seriously, he's so tall, and wow, is he able to lift someone up –"

"Fitzgerald."

"- and he's got this strange habit of changing moods quickly like my mom does –"

"_Fitzgerald_."

"- but it's so funny to tease him, he's so tall that I call him a mammoth. Manny the moody mammoth –"

"_**Sid**_!"

I hadn't meant to call him by his first name, but Fitzgerald's breath comes out in a gasp.

"_Whoa_. Diego Tiergan, you just called me Sid."

"I did not."

How could a simple phone call meant for me because the dork wanted to tell me we had some special assembly tomorrow turn into _this_? I hate this kid.

"You're in-denial again, just like everything else about you. Come now, dear tiger, turn into a kitty cat and believe in love!"

I grit my teeth.

"If I were a kitty cat, I'd scratch your face. Now, please. Stop talking about this Salvadore kid and tell me what the hell the assembly is about."

Fitzgerald sounds like he's trying not to laugh across the phone.

"An **anti-bullying** campaign! The school found out about the little thingy earlier, and the hall monitor, being a very responsible hall monitor, decided to write down the names of all the people who were involved. I was there, Manny was there, those two jocks were there, and you were there, too!"

I think it's because I spend too much time around him that I was written down.

_Fuck_.

Soto told me not to get into any trouble this school year.

"…"

"Diego? You okay back there?"

"… Don't ever call me again for something so useless."

"Aw, hey, I'm walking home and all, and Manny's all quiet walking with me, so I only got you!"

"_I told you not to say I was here, you idiot!_"

I nearly drop my cellphone. Blasted piece of technology.

"See, Fitzgerald. Stop angering the new kid or he'll pummel you."

I try to keep my voice from shaking, and clear my throat.

"Well, I'll be going now sothanksalotfornothingbye."

I press the end call button.

Beside me, Soto's trying not to laugh.

"Didn't that end well, kitty cat?" he asks, smirk on his face and eyes of darker green shimmering with obvious interest. I snort and push his head away; starting to walk. "Shut up, Soto. Nobody asked you. I'm gonna go."

Soto's hand grabs my wrist and I can't fight.

_I told you not to say I was here, you idiot._

I like him already.

xxx

**Author's Notes: **This is so short, it's a little sad. Oh well.


End file.
